"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." Colossians 3:15 (NKJV)
No more able are we to drive the rain back into the clouds by holding hands to the sky... Or stretch a rainbow's colors wide by scurrying to grasp its tails... Or force the tides to retreat by running at the sea... No more capable of these feats are we, than to pursue and capture peace.
Peace.
That for which the world wars. Families crumble. People roam. That for which we compromise, and improvise, and televise: It's here... if only you race after it with your time, your money, your life.
But for all our chasing, we never lay hold of peace. Not until we consider with these nine words that motion stillness. A truth that causes shoulders to fall and jaws to relax. This scripture tells us there's peace a'
plenty, free for all.
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and thankful." (Colossians 3:15 NKJV).
If we're to find peace, we must become a pupil of He who is our Peace, Jesus Christ. He who is the Word. And this bit of Word, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts," is a fine educator.
This truth teaches us to slow down. Those two strong words "let" and "rule" mean to "umpire" our hurried heart. So when circumstances crumble and we worriedly scramble to right them, we are taught to pause and call our heart
to peace. How do we do this? Through intimate knowledge of He who is our Peace.
Christ is just, as Esther's courage and Haman's defeat reflects. (Esther 7)
Christ redeems, as Job's great loss and even greater gain assures. (Job 42:7-17)
Christ is trustworthy, as His promised resurrection proves. (Matthew 28:1-10)
Christ controls the storms, as calmed winds and waves attest. (Mark 4:35-41)
It will take time to teach our hearts to let peace rule. Umpires don't begin careers in the World Series. Indeed, umpires go through rigorous training and schooling. They must work for years in the minor leagues before even dreaming of the majors.
We too must set our heart and mind to learning. A good place to start is with the minors. Calling our hearts to peace when running late, dinner burns, scrapes and bruises happen, and fender benders occur. This is our
practice and preparation for when the doctor calls, the pink slip is given, the papers are served, and the accusations
fly.
We call our hearts to trust in He who is faithful to us in the small things, so we learn His character again and again. This gives our hearts the training needed to know He is trustworthy to us in the big things, the in-between things... everything.
Each call leads to another, which leads to an eventual place of surety. A place where the chase ends. And peace
begins.
Dear Lord, You are our Peace. Teach me Your ways; direct me in Your truth. Help me relax my shoulders, loosen my tense jaw, calm my hurried heart. I want to know You more and more. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
No more able are we to drive the rain back into the clouds by holding hands to the sky... Or stretch a rainbow's colors wide by scurrying to grasp its tails... Or force the tides to retreat by running at the sea... No more capable of these feats are we, than to pursue and capture peace.
Peace.
That for which the world wars. Families crumble. People roam. That for which we compromise, and improvise, and televise: It's here... if only you race after it with your time, your money, your life.
But for all our chasing, we never lay hold of peace. Not until we consider with these nine words that motion stillness. A truth that causes shoulders to fall and jaws to relax. This scripture tells us there's peace a'
plenty, free for all.
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and thankful." (Colossians 3:15 NKJV).
If we're to find peace, we must become a pupil of He who is our Peace, Jesus Christ. He who is the Word. And this bit of Word, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts," is a fine educator.
This truth teaches us to slow down. Those two strong words "let" and "rule" mean to "umpire" our hurried heart. So when circumstances crumble and we worriedly scramble to right them, we are taught to pause and call our heart
to peace. How do we do this? Through intimate knowledge of He who is our Peace.
Christ is just, as Esther's courage and Haman's defeat reflects. (Esther 7)
Christ redeems, as Job's great loss and even greater gain assures. (Job 42:7-17)
Christ is trustworthy, as His promised resurrection proves. (Matthew 28:1-10)
Christ controls the storms, as calmed winds and waves attest. (Mark 4:35-41)
It will take time to teach our hearts to let peace rule. Umpires don't begin careers in the World Series. Indeed, umpires go through rigorous training and schooling. They must work for years in the minor leagues before even dreaming of the majors.
We too must set our heart and mind to learning. A good place to start is with the minors. Calling our hearts to peace when running late, dinner burns, scrapes and bruises happen, and fender benders occur. This is our
practice and preparation for when the doctor calls, the pink slip is given, the papers are served, and the accusations
fly.
We call our hearts to trust in He who is faithful to us in the small things, so we learn His character again and again. This gives our hearts the training needed to know He is trustworthy to us in the big things, the in-between things... everything.
Each call leads to another, which leads to an eventual place of surety. A place where the chase ends. And peace
begins.
Dear Lord, You are our Peace. Teach me Your ways; direct me in Your truth. Help me relax my shoulders, loosen my tense jaw, calm my hurried heart. I want to know You more and more. In Jesus' Name, Amen.